Cable and Willetts: the house-trained ministers?
There are few worse insults for a minister than to be called ‘house trained’. It implies that the vested interests of your department have you under their thumb. So, Vince… Continue reading
9 Comments
What David Cameron’s decision to keep Sir George Young as chief whip tells us
Tory MPs have long assumed that Sir George Young would be shuffled out of the job of chief whip at the next reshuffle. The 71 year old had, after all,… Continue reading
25 Comments
Cameron wants to change the military balance in Syria, but how do you do that without arming the Islamists?
David Cameron and Vladimir Putin have just concluded their pre G8 talks, the main topic of which was Syria. Cameron wants to use the next few days to try and… Continue reading
64 Comments
Someone has got to win the next election
It is easy to make a case for why all three main parties should do badly at the next election. After five years of austerity, who will vote for the… Continue reading
50 Comments
The coming Tory split over Europe
The news that Labour will abstain on the EU referendum bill is proof that they know that voting against it would be politically harmful. It also means that it’ll be… Continue reading
29 Comments
Stephen Hester’s departure: who would want the RBS job?
I do not envy the search committee tasked with finding a new CEO for RBS after Stephen Hester’s departure. The bank is an anomaly, publicly owned but supposedly run at… Continue reading
15 Comments
Trust me, I’m a Foreign Secretary, says William Hague on Prism
William Hague’s statement on Prism was a masterclass in not answering the question. Hague calmly, but determinedly, stuck to the line that he wasn’t going to comment on leaks —… Continue reading
39 Comments
Ed Balls: Labour will include pensions in its welfare cap
Ed Balls has just told Andrew Neil on the Sunday Politics that Labour will include pensions in their welfare cap. This opens up a major dividing line with the Tories… Continue reading
68 Comments
Prism controversy will deepen coalition divisions over the snooper’s charter
GCHQ’s use of the US monitoring system Prism is threatening to turn into a major political row. Douglas Alexander is demanding that William Hague come to the House of Commons… Continue reading
17 Comments
The political centre just moved, to the right
Today must count as one of the most encouraging days for the centre right in British politics in recent times. Labour’s apparent abandonment of universal child benefit is a massive… Continue reading
18 Comments
Why Cameron’s warning on Syria leaves me feeling nervous
David Cameron’s Commons statement today contained two blunt warnings. In a significant escalation of the argument over communications data, he warned that ‘we will suffer’ if we don’t make progress… Continue reading
74 Comments
The significance of Ed Balls’s speech, and what it means for Ukip
Ed Balls’s speech today is significant for two reasons. First, it implied that a Labour government in 2015 would not spend more on current spending. But, rather, it would borrow… Continue reading
29 Comments
Patrick Mercer resigns Tory whip ahead of Panorama programme
Patrick Mercer has resigned the Tory whip. But despite his repeated and outspoken criticisms of David Cameron it is nothing to do with the Prime Minister. Rather, Mercer appears to… Continue reading
16 Comments
The Boris bandwagon picks up more speed
Hardly a day goes by these days without a story about Boris Johnson and the Tory leadership. Yesterday, it was Andy Coulson’s revelation that David Cameron believed Boris Johnson would… Continue reading
28 Comments
Why it’s not the 1990s all over again for the Tories
The last twenty four hours have been a reminder of David Cameron’s poise as a national leader. He has the ability to project a sense of resolve and calm. Before… Continue reading
51 Comments
Woolwich attack: the aftermath
Westminster and Whitehall are tonight trying to assess the implications of the brutal murder of a soldier in Woolwich. It is clear from the vile rant made by one of… Continue reading
375 Comments
The chancellor survived the IMF report, but there’s another challenge ahead
George Osborne has got through the IMF’s report on the UK economy. It is far from a ringing endorsement of his approach but, as Isabel notes, its criticisms are couched… Continue reading
12 Comments



